IDG's LinuxWorld is a computer show well worth attending -- and the price is right if you register before the show starts. The Exhibits Pass is free if you register on or before 19 January 2004. On-site from 20 to 23 January 2004, the LinuxWorld Exhibits Pass is $30.

The Exhibits Pass gets you into the:

Keynotes and Feature Presentations

Birds of a Feather Meetings

Taste of Linux Series

Exhibit Floor (Jan 21 - 23)

There also is an assortment of LinuxWorld Conference Packages starting at $345 if you register on or before 19 January 2004.. Conferences run from 20 to 23 January 2004. LinuxWorld exhibits run from 21 to 23 January 2004.

You can register for the free Exhibit Pass or the not-free Conference Packages on-line (links below) or by calling 1-800-657-1474.

Novell at LinuxWorld 2004

With its acquisitions of SUSE Linux and Ximian plus its role in the SCO v Linux saga as perhaps the real owner of the Unix copyrights, Novell now is one of the biggest players, if not the biggest player, in the Linux World. So it is not surprising that Novell will be rather visible at the January 2004 LinuxWorld EXPO.

To kick things off for both Novell and the LinuxWorld Expo, Novell CEO Jack Messman will present the opening Keynote address on Wednesday, 21 January 2004.

We asked Novell's Director of Public Relations, Bruce Lowry, about Novell's presence at the January 2004 LinuxWorld.

He pointed out that in addition to CEO Jack Messman's Keynote address,

Jeff Hawkins, Vice-President of Novell Linux Business Office, is slated to participate in a Birds of a Feather panel discussion, Political Challenges to Open Source.

Nat Friedman, Vice-President for Novell Product Development is slated to participate in a panel discussion, The Future of Linux Audio/Video in the Enterprise and

Novell will have a big presence at the show. Jack's keynote will focus on essentially three themes:

- What we see as continued barriers to adoption of Linux in the enterprise space

- Novell as a case study for the challenges of moving a traditionally proprietary company into open source

- Where we see Novell fitting in the open source community

Novell will also participate in several conference sessions:

Panel Discussion: The Future of Linux Audio/Video in the Enterprise

Nat Friedman

Session: Gnome 2.4: The Linux Desktop

Michael Meeks, Ximian Services

Birds of a Feather Panel Discussion: Political Challenges to Open Source

Jeff Hawkins, VP, Novell Linux Business Office (Leader)

As for what we're showing on the floor, we will bring pretty much everything we have that touches Linux.. Which is most everything now! SUSE will have it's own booth next to Novell, showing all the SUSE stuff. At the Novell booth, we'll have demo stations on:

Why You Should Attend LinuxWorld Expo

Whether you are an experienced Linux user, Linux newbie, a Mac user, a Windows user, IT/IS professional, corporate buyer, or corporate executive and you are in the Northeastern United States, you ought to check out the January 2004 LinuxWorld Expo. It's at the Javits Center in New York City. If you are on the U.S. West Coast, there will be a LinuxWorld Expo at the Moscone Center in San Francisco in August 2004.

If you are not a Linux user or not Linux literate, the LinuxWorld Expo is a great place to see Linux and Open Source Software in action first hand -- demonstrated by the people and companies that publish the Linux distributions, create Linux and Open Source software, and make the computers upon which Linux runs. If you are a Linux evangelist or Linux user, drag some of your Mac or Windows user friends over to LinuxWorld Expo and knock their socks off.

Here are some other ideas for all of you readers that want to help get more people and organizations to use Linux and Open Source software. Call the members of your local school board and the school district's business manager. Invite them to go along with you to the LinuxWorld Expo. Let them see how much Linux can do and how well it can do it -- and for how much less money than Windows can do it. Let them talk dollars and Linux sense with the exhibitors.

There is no reason why every school system in the United States should not be a Linux school system rather than a Mac or Windows school system -- if for no other reason than it would save U.S taxpayers millions of dollars every year. (Actually if you think about it, every school system in the world should be a Linux school system.)

There is another important reason for getting schools to adopt Linux as their OS. The students will learn to use Linux and Linux software at school. Once they learn how to use Linux and Linux software, they likely will install Linux on their home computers.

Speaking of taxpayers, government organizations, and Linux, call the mayor and council of your town or your county commissioners. Drag them along to LinuxWorld too. If you have the guts or the clout, then drag your governor, state representative, or U.S. Congress-person to LinuxWorld also.

There is no reason why every government unit in the United States should not be a Linux government unit rather than a Mac or Windows government unit -- if for no other reason than it would save U.S taxpayers millions of dollars every year.

Some of these suggestions might sound somewhat over-ambitious. But what the heck, no guts no glory. You never know -- it might work. The underlying point here is that a good way to show people the benefits of Linux and Open Source software is to take them along to the LinuxWorld Expo. Then let the exhibitors there do their things and show the people you invite to LinuxWorld just how great Linux and Open Source software are and how much money they can save by using Linux and Open Source software.